Run Forest Run....

It's the putting on running shoes and putting away the hiking shoes time... Apparently I have been so attached to chairs, bed and never forgotten the infamous Candy Crush and becoming a couch potato after returning from Nepal. I have been giving myself the best rest, more than enough rest in fact until I realized I started to feel thick around the waistline... For almost 45 days or more I did nothing, seriously nothing about physical activity, except maybe just my fingers and eyes if these count as physical for crushing the bloody candies.

hate u candies...i will eat u

Signed up SCKL13 run earlier this year, one of the earliest to sign up...the super kiasu self. But did nothing bout running since January. The crazy weather was my excuse to not running. It was either raining cats and dogs or it was super warm that I don't feel like doing anything outdoor. The weather had also the reason why I've been sleeping late and waking up late and the chain reaction resulted no activity until the day ends. (apart from dragging myself to work and get myself stuck in traffic jam to get home)

But somehow I came to sense about a month or slightly more ago...that I must do something or I just skipped the SCKL13 despite the 'semangat' I have got to complete 21km this year. So i signed up the gym near my office. I guess that's the best decision ever...

so nice right, make me wanna run everyday

So, there I go... almost every days on weekdays... The best solution for traffic congestion. Hit the gym and stress no more. By the time I'm done, the traffic has reduced by 80% at least. C'mon this is the heart of KL City, it's impossible to have 100% traffic free. Besides the traffic, guess what else I've gained... I've gained the sight of my long lost waistlines. 

Here I'm running and running, doing mostly the cardios to increase my stamina and of cos to burn the stubborn fats. I always think running is the best to achieve both stamina and fat burning cos it requires strong core and this strong core workout actually will trim the apple shape of your body. So i have been doing treadmill, stepper, cross training machine and joined classes as well... *patting on shoulders non stop...i'm such a good girl. If 1 day I did not hit the gym, I felt something is missing from me. Ya ya, I know I'm good, thank you. So now I can check 1 item off my 2013 to do list, I'm indeed exercising more now and hope this continues. 

Talking bout classes, I have fallen in love with Zumba. Something I've heard so often but has no idea what it was. Something so fun yet so tough and people said a serious Zumba session probably burn 700-900 calories. I don't think I burn that much in an hour class but 500 cals will be too good to be true. To be honest, I don't really care how much calories were burn in each workout. As long as I keep myself moving, I guess it's not really bout the weight but the overall fitness. Eg. I probably loss like 0.5kg this entire 4 weeks which is really not significant. You can't really tell a person has loose weight if it's just a mere 0.5kg. My case was different, people thought I had probably loss about 3 kg from my appearance but the fact was I'm stuck with my old weight which increased or reduced by 0.5kg on different days. See what I meant? Everyone is different. My goal is to fit into a S size clothes, I don't give a damn to how much i weight.

Let's talk bout Zumba instead... I'm so looking forward to the classes actually especially classes constructed by this 1 particular instructor. Don't know his name but he is damn good. I can't seem to be able to find a zumba video that can be embedded. So I will put in a couple of links to show you the fun, check it out :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRuhQF0eyIM&NR=1&feature=endscreen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI3Ss6e1LS8

So You Call It Eczema?

Hello hello... It has been a while... Laziness is prevailing...

And no, I wasn't diagnosed with Eczema. Someone else did. I have no ideas what is Eczema prior to this... I know it was some kinda skin diseases but I have no idea the symptoms or how it looks like. In fact, I can't seem to spell it correctly... This is how rare this word is to me.

Until recently, like a month ago... BF had this itchy patch around his feet... the spot where he got bitten by leeches some months ago... and the patches grew bigger and more and more dots appeared. Obviously it's not due to the leech bites anymore, unless the leeches went underneath his skin and give birth to more leeches biting and sucking on his blood. Dammit... i hope this is not happening.

So the first thing tat came into his mind or rather my mind was bed bugs... cos i saw a tiny little creature like an ant size crawling on the bed one day. I concluded it was bed bugs and make him did spring cleaning entirely. It's not like he's living in a dusty/dirty room/house though.. Just that any extra cleaning wouldn't kill i guess. So he did the cleaning and went to a doctor and get some sorta creams to apply. 

After a week or so, the itchiness just don't get better but worsen in fact. Then he went to see a skin specialist and was told that it was probably Eczema. What does the specialist meant by probably? Isn't there a way to define the skin diseases? He was given more medicine for consumption and application this time. It does control but didn't cure 100%... New patches like rashes still appear every now and then. Here are some pictures. Maybe someone can tell exactly what these tiny red itchy dots are;

At the elbows

on the feet. The big red dot on the left foot was bitten by leech tho

all over the body

These were taken like 3 weeks ago. Some spots had dried up and turned into dark brown colors but there are new ones coming up everyday :( It's annoying to see him scratching every now and then like every 5 minutes.

I went to search online... guess that's where u get the most of information. I found pictures of Eczema but they didn't look really like what he is experiencing. Those pictures on google images showed a bit of scaling and the patches of dots are closer to each others. His ones are rather scattered.

Then I went to google causes of Eczema and to my horror... this is the line I have gotten:

"Doctors don't know exactly what causes Eczema"... If doctors don't know, who knows??? They think it its causes by a combination of factors that include:

• genetics
• abnormal function of the immune system
• environment
• activities that may cause skin to be more sensitive
• defects in the skin barrier that allow moisture out and germs in

It is said that some other things that will trigger the skin irritation such as:

• soaps and cleansers
• perfume
• makeup
• dust and sand
• chlorine
• irritants in the environments
• cigarette smoke

As for the environment factors, here are the culprits:

• prolonged exposure to water
• being too hot or too cold
• sweating and then becoming chilled
• taking baths that are too hot or last too long
• not using skin lubricant
• low humidity in the winter

Well if I were to base on the findings above to conclude the causes of skin irritation on BF, I will say it was probably started with the little leech bite. The scratching definitely makes the skin condition worsen. Then before it even recovers, we headed to Nepal during early spring where the weather was rather cold and dry. Coupled with the dusty air and sudden exposure to snow with strong mountain wind, it makes the skin condition gets from worse to worst. Then when we are back to MY, the weather was extremely hot that we need to air conditioner to survive most of the time. The prolong skin drying processes definitely the root of the itchiness all over the body. And it has been with him for over a month and has yet to recover.

Let see what are the treatments that I can find on the net after the visits to doctors failed to cure/stop. And i found 10 Tips for Living with Eczema. I wonder if this title suggested that once gotten the eczema, one has to live with it for the rest of the life. Hope not, seeing the patches on his body makes me wanna scratch myself as well. 

1. Know your Eczema triggers - eliminate all products with fragrance - including soaps, perfumes, cosmetics, and scented body lotions. Other triggers can include household cleansers, pet dander, grass, gasoline, chemicals, dust mites, and certain foods
2. Moisture Dry, Itchy Skin often - Using moisturizer is one of the best ways to help keep eczema under control. But it’s important to use moisturizer often, especially after washing and bathing. For best results, choose a plain, unscented moisturizer.
3. Manage extreme temperatures at home - Changes in temperature or humidity can often cause eczema to flare up. Although you can’t control the weather, you can try to control the conditions inside your home.
4. Don't scratch Eczema patches - scratching can actually make you itch more. And scratching can also damage your skin and lead to an infection. Instead of scratching, find ways to help control the itch, such as cold compresses, frequent moisturizing, baths, and medications.
5. Keep sweating to a minimum to avoid eczema flare-ups -  try to shower as soon as possible after a workout.
6. Wear comfortable clothes that don't irritate skin - Cotton and cotton blends are usually the best choices for people with eczema.  Washing new clothing before you wear it can also reduce irritation. 
7. Watch your stress level to avoid eczema flare-ups - You’re more likely to have a flare-up when you’re under stress. And yet, the itching and discomfort of eczema can add to stress by making you feel angry and frustrated.
8. Follow skin care basics in the shower or bath - Hot showers or baths are a common cause of eczema flare-ups. Switch to room-temperature water and save the hot water for a treat once in a while. Avoid scrubbing, and use a gentle cleanser instead of soap on the areas that need it. Once done, pat dry and apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp.
9. Protect your hands - Your hands are often exposed to water and other substances that can irritate them. Protect them by wearing rubber gloves whenever you wash dishes or place your hands in water.
10. Use eczema medication when needed - Seek doctor advice in using medication to help ease your eczema symptoms. A doctor may suggest an over-the-counter cream or oral antihistamine, or suggest a prescription medication.

I think this pretty much concluded the information I need to know to help the BF with his itching problem. He has been living his life so stressful with work and eczema. I guess here's a little something I could do to ease up. Afterall it's his birthday today. Happy Birthday baby. I wish the itchiness will go away soon. Seeing him scratching actually stressing me up :p

Why You Must Say NO To Margarine

This is  a post to fill in the long absent... OMG looking at the calendar, it has been 2 months since I went hiking at Nepal. Missing the place so much and that reminded me that I have not post anything bout the trekking experience. Soon...

Lets talk bout margarine today... and why we shouldn't consume them. Its interesting to learn bout these facts. From the origination of margarine to the reason why we should avoid the food. Does it even qualified to be categorized as food? Read on....

First thing first, I don't come out with this story ok. So if there's any facts that wasn't all that true or misleading or offending anyone, I would like to apologize in advance. I just read it somewhere and share it here.

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. Omg, when I read the line, fatten the bird? So it does fatten human as well ya? When it killed the turkeys (omg, omg, are we going to get killed too?), the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. They have even come out with some clever ideas by adding flavorings. Now the battle of the margarine and butter is just bout to begin...

Both have the same amount of calories... Now you might be thinking eating either ones gives you the same amount of fats (if you're a health freak) you might as well opt for the cheaper ones. Butter is generally more pricey. In fact, butter is slightly higher in saturated fats  at 8grams compared to margarine at 5grams.

Research from Harvard Medical Study shows that eating margarine increase heart disease in women (specifically) by 53%, wtf... compared to eating the same amount of butter. Whereby, butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods. Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because it has been added in.

Apart from that, butter tastes much better than margarine (this I must agree, i like the creamy buttery taste, while margarine only has the oily taste). Butter can enhance the flavor of other foods as well. Another plus point is, butter has been around for centuries while margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, let's go to the cons of margarine:

- very high in trans fatty acids

- triples the risk of coronary heart disease

- increases  LDL (bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL (good cholesterol)

- increases the risk of cancers up to 5 times

- lowers the quality of breast milk (take note breastfeeding mommies)

- decreases immune responses

- decreases insulin responses

And here's the most disturbing fact... the most interesting part...

"margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC and shares 27 ingredients as the PAINT"

These facts alone were enough to have one to avoid margarine for life and anything that is hydrogenated. (it means hydrogen is added, in changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try by doing this experiment. Open a tub of margarine (or take a scoop of it) and leave it open at your garage or shaded area. Do the same to the butter... so that you can do the comparison. Within a couple of days you will notice these:

• no flies not even those pesky fruit flies will go near margarine 
• the margarine won't rot nor smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Not even those teeny weeny microorganisms will find that home to grow.
• the opposite can be seen on butter tho

Why? because margarine is near plastic. You might as well melt the take-away containers and spread that on your toast next time...lol... joke

Here's a photo to show the results of the experiment

 

Now, choose wisely :)

Sinus ~ Menthol Crystals for Nasal Cleansing

If you're experiencing nasal congestion, sneezing in the morning, nose blockage and all, good news is you're not the only one. But it wasn't really a good news. Sinus happens for many reasons, thanks to the invention of air-conditioner, air pollution, genetic reason, bla bla bla and the list goes on and on.

I have been having sinus since god knows when... maybe 4-5 years ago... all of sudden i was diagnosed with sinusitis... or was it even longer before that. I remembered some 10 years ago, i had KFC for lunch and soon after that, I experienced itchy nose, i guess that was some sort of nose allergy...to the chicken or to the ingredients to fry the chicken. I'm not sure... All I knew was things got from bad to worse and now worst of all.

I'm now allergy to even the slightest existing of dust, cloth, cold dry air, smoke, food, pets, and all the things that come near my nose.

I had waking up sneezing non stop in the morning and in fact I sneeze while asleep that I was awaken by my own sneezing at night. If a sneeze equals to a blessing, God must have loved me so much for giving me so much of blessings.

If you are not sure what is sinus and needed longer explanation of what causes it, please check it out here

Anyway, after reading from the link and knowing what causes sinus, here I would like to share with you how you can cleanse the clogged sinuses.

It's not home remedies but you can do it at home very safely.

Buy some menthol crystals from drugstore or asked your doctor where you can get them. 

Fill a pail with 1/3 of steaming hot water (just boiled) and throw in 3-4 crystals into the hot water. Use a big piece of cloth or blanket to cover yourself (fully) together with the hot pail of steaming water. Place your face on the surface of the pail and breath in and out deeply... You may find it difficult to breathe in the menthol steam tho... try to do that for about 15 minutes or until you couldn't take it anymore or when there's no more steam from the water. Unveiled yourself from the blanket... take a few breath and cool down to let your breathing goes back to normal. Next thing is to go blow your nose. Blow out all the mucus... Something to bear in mind tho, do not press on one side of the nose while blowing the other side. Blow it out naturally both sides at the same time. You will feel your head lighten and the nasal pathway cleared. Without you realizing, you could have cleared the mucus from your lungs as well.

If you can do it every night before going to bed, it will help you in getting a good sleep throughout the night. Over a period of time, one would have blown out all the blockages and infections in the nasal. Who knows it will cure the sinusitis one day.

Banana and You

Found some very interesting FACTS about Bananas online... Here are something to take note. So interesting that one will never look at a banana in the same way again. 

First thing first... Never ever put banana in the refrigerator...

A nice looking bananas just in case you're wondering what is this fruit...duhhh

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Here are the facts of Bananas (and my comment aka reminder for myself)

DEPRESSION:

According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. 

(I have no depression issue but no harm eating on the fruit to make me happier)

PMS:

Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood. 

(Important note for all ladies whom experience PMS every month)

ANEMIA:

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
(Again to all ladies, replenish the iron after the monthly period)

BLOOD PRESSURE:

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

(Although I have very good measurement for blood pressure, no harm taking note on this one tho)

BRAIN POWER:

200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

(I wonder if it improves the memory power as well? When your brain is powerful, so does the memory right, right? I need powerful memory so badly because I was thinking of something and the next second i forgotten what had came into my mine and this is happening so frequently)

CONSTIPATION:

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

(Everyone experiences this once in a while I believe, including myself... chomp chomp chomp bananas)

HANGOVERS:

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

(Party animals, this is for you... definitely not for me...lol)

HEARTBURN:

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

(Don't know what is causing my regular heartburn lately but this is definitely a good solution than popping pills)

MORNING SICKNESS:

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

(Do not need it for now)

MOSQUITO BITES:

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

(To all mommies, to whom their babies are precious, rub on bananas skin instead of oil or cream that might have chemical effects... knowing all mommies going organic for their kids now)

NERVES:

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system..

(Good news for me, next time before board on a flight, I will eat bananas. If you are wondering why, I have phobia of flying)

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

(Good news also, that means biting on bananas will reduce the craving for other fattening, unhealthy food such as chips, chocolates or heavier food like nasi lemak or roti canai)

ULCERS:

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chroniclercases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

(Guess this is somehow related to heartburn as well...so bananas that's it)

TEMPERATURE CONTROL:

Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

(No comment on this one...but why not since Malaysia is such a hot country)

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has FOUR TIMES the protein, TWICE the carbohydrate, THREE TIMES the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A BANANA a day keeps the doctor away!'

(I definitely like this new sayings!!)

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!